Dana the Paina ☮

(Sound is very much required on this one.)

Sometimes food is so darn tasty you gotta sing its praises.

AWOOOOO! 

I pull up at this nice ass house, I’m walking to the door as the woman pulls in her driveway so the pizza is definitely not late.

I’m all smiley and courteous and shit, she tipped me $1 on a $51 bill. 

The next house I have is in a lower class neighborhood, she tips me $4.00 on a $14 bill. 

Phone calls can be nerve-wracking enough and scheduling doctor’s appointments can make them seem even worse. But we’ve all got to do it at some point so here’s a brief guide on how to get through it.

Check you have the correct phone number. Either ask a relative who is registered at the same practice or have a look online. Now we don’t need to worry about having the wrong number.

Take a deep breath before calling. It’s just the reception team who are going to answer the phone. Often they are friendly and they are there to assist you. They deal with lots of different requests each day and a simple appointment schedule will be no problem.

Keep breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth when the phone is ringing. I find the ringing tone is one of the worst parts but you’ll get through soon so don’t panic and don’t put the phone down. Sometimes it can take a while to get through to reception because it can be busy. If you’re waiting for 10 or more minutes, put the phone down and promise to try again in 30 minutes time.

When the person answers the phone, all you need to say first is “Could I book a doctor’s appointment please?”. Read that sentence to them if you like. All you need to do is let the person on the other end of the line know what you need.

The person on the phone will now ask you some questions such as “what day/date would you like?”, “what time?”, “What’s your date of birth?”, “What’s your name?” and “Which doctor would you like to see?” These questions are to make sure they’re scheduling in the right person. If it helps you, right down the answers on a sheet of paper first so you don’t forget or get your words tangled.

If you need to see a specific doctor or nurse, all you need to say is “Could I book an appointment with Doctor/Nurse [enter name here]”. There person on the phone should then be able to provide you with some date and time options and you can pick the one that’s best for you.

If the person on the end of the phone asks you what the appointment is for, then you can make it as vague or as specific as you like. Some examples could be: “I need to get my prescription” or “I need a check-up” or “I need to re-evaluate my current medication with the doctor”. The people on reception hear a lot in a day. They are not judging you, they just want to make sure you’re going to the right person for the right thing.

Once you have your appointment agreed, write it down somewhere straight away. Preferably write it down on a piece of paper in front of you then when you come off the phone put a reminder in your phone calendar.

Thank the person on the other end of the line. It’s always nice to feel appreciated!

The script for making an appointment with a new doctor will be quite similar. Start by saying “I’m a new patient and I would like to get set up with [a doctor at your clinic/Doctor’s name].” They will prompt you for insurance information, so be sure to have that handy.